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Five Steps to Take Now to Protect Your Passwords According to Symantec

[August 06, 2014]

Five Steps to Take Now to Protect Your Passwords According to Symantec

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --(Business Wire)--

A report issued this week claimed that a Russian cybercrime group stole
1.2 billion usernames and passwords from 420,000 websites. While some
security experts question the report's findings, Symantec (News - Alert) asserts the
potential threats are important to take seriously.

Symantec recommends consumers take five steps now to protect their most
sensitive password protected information:

Pay special attention to your email credentials: A lot of users
fail to recognize that their email account can be a front door to
their entire digital life. Think about how many times you may have
reset your password on some other site and the recovery link is sent
to your email account. In addition, avoid opening emails from unknown
senders and clicking on suspicious email attachments; exercise caution
when clicking on enticing links sent through email, instant messages,
or posted on social networks; and do not share confidential
information when replying to an email.

Change passwords on important sites: It's a good idea to
immediately change passwords for sites that hold a lot of personal
information, financial details, and other private data. Cyber
criminals who have your credentials could try to use them to access
more information on these accounts. This is particularly true if you
have used the same password on multiple sites. Attackers will often
try to use stolen credentials on multiple sites.

Create stronger passwords: When changing your password, make
sure that your new password is a minimum of eight characters long, and
that it doesn't contain your real name, username, or any other
personally identifying information. The best passwords include a
combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special
characters.

Don't re-use passwords: Once a hacker has your account
information and credentials, they'll try to use it to gain access to
all your accounts. This is why it's important to create a unique
password for each account. If you vary your passwords across multiple
logins, they won't be able to access other sites with the same
information.

Enable two-factor authentication: Many websites now offer
two-factor (or two-step) authentication, which adds an extra layer of
security toyour account by requiring you to enter your password, plus
a code that you will receive on your mobile device via text message or
a token generator to login to the site. This may add complexity to the
login process, but it significantly improves the security of your
account. If nothing else, use this for your most important accounts.

PASSWORD THREAT INSIGHTS FROM SYMANTEC

Consumers are experiencing password fatigue. The average user has 26
password-protected accounts but typically uses only five different
passwords.

Consumers are resistant to regularly updating their passwords. A
Symantec survey indicated that 38 percent of people would rather clean
a toilet that come up with a new password.

The number one cause of breaches and compromised records in large
organizations is stolen credentials. Symantec research asserts that 80
percent of data breaches could have been eliminated with the use of
two-factor authentication.

In 2013, the two most common passwords were: 1) 123456 and 2) password.

Cybersecurity threat intelligence researchers from Symantec are
available to further discuss this week's revelation of the largest known
collection of stolen Internet credentials. Interested media outlets
should contact kim.lafleur@edelman.com
with requests for additional comment.

About Symantec

Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ:SYMC) is an information protection expert
that helps people, businesses and governments seeking the freedom to
unlock the opportunities technology brings -- anytime, anywhere. Founded
in April 1982, Symantec, a Fortune 500 company, operating one of the
largest global data-intelligence networks, has provided leading
security, backup and availability solutions for where vital information
is stored, accessed and shared. The company's more than 20,000 employees
reside in more than 50 countries. Ninety-nine percent of Fortune 500
companies are Symantec customers. In fiscal 2014, it recorded revenue of
$6.7 billion. To learn more go to www.symantec.com
or connect with Symantec at: go.symantec.com/socialmedia.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Any forward-looking indication of
plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are
tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product
or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or
feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec, and may or may
not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by
Symantec and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions.